Who Reaches Out? The Leader or the Member?

Simply, it means that it is a leader’s job to go the extra mile and socialize with his people, with his organization’s members. Leaders should be the one taking action to gather feedback, suggestions, and to listen. A leader who sees himself only as a role model is no leader at all – he’s a fashion model, we’re better off having a stone statue instead.

It is something we need to realize, as members of any organization and as a leader ourselves. We should never expect our people to be the one to come to us and give us his/her feedback, violent reactions, and suggestions. Why should they? After all, they are the ones at the bottom and us at the top.

God Himself humbled and lowered down so we can reach Him. The Creator of all things did the first move. It is no different in a leader-member relationship, most especially in a top-down system.

It’s a simple truth that many people does not realize in their everyday relationships. All of us are members of organizations, institutions, hierarchies. We can not avoid it. Just look around you, which ones work and which ones fail? It is as clear as a diamond cut by the greatest gem-cutters. Leaders, especially in a top-down organization, are the ones who must reach out and not those at the bottom.

“Our doors are wide open, talk to us”? Yet, no one comes? If that sounds familiar then it is high time to look inside yourself and refine your management skills. Time to study. Time to learn. The first thing we need to learn is “humble down”, then “listen”, then accept our mistakes and shortcomings. From there the rest follows – implementation, unity, working together, finding solutions, collaboration.